Iago- Tom Hiddleston

Tom Hiddleston

Tom Hiddleston is famous for his role in both the Avengers and the Night Manager. Loki who he plays the role of in the Avengers lies and is a very deceptive and manipulative character like Iago. Tom Hiddleston also plays Johnathon Pine in The Night Manager who originally starts as a hotel manager in order to keep an eye on a wealthy family who are suspected of doing risky deals with suspicious men, he gains their trust by lying to the family. He changes his identity to remain incognito but his plan is foiled when he gets beaten up by a gang of thieves who targeted the family for money and took their son as a ransom. I think that Tom Hiddleston would be a good character to play Iago as he is used to playing deceptive, manipulative and evil characters like Iago.

Othello Act 2 Scene 3 questions

Iago switches from verse to prose when he speaks with Cassio, and Cassio follows. What does this indicate about the exchange? What might it indicate about Cassio? AO2 LFS

Iago speaks in verse when he is speaking normally as everyone else, yet he switches to prose as he puts the next stage of his plan into action. Iago speaks in prose as he begins to manipulate and persuade Cassio into becoming close with Desdemona. Iago manipulates Cassio into thinking that if he is to "confess.. freely" to Desdemona, she will sway Othello's mind and Cassio will regain his position. This indicates that Cassio is naïve because he doesn't believe that Iago would be giving him this advice for any underlying reason, he is similar to Othello in this way as he doesn't believe that a loyal friend would ever lie to or betray him. 


What language does Cassio use when speaking about Desdemona? How does it compare to the language Iago uses to sexualise her? Why do you think Iago is speaking about Desdemona in this way to Cassio? (lines 15-25) AO2 LF  

Iago changes the topic straight to that of Desdemona, (when Othello and Desdemona leave to consummate their marriage) in order to manipulate Cassio into viewing her in a sexual way, which would then make Cassio a prime target for the person who had the alleged affair with Desdemona. When Cassio speaks of Desdemona, he uses flattering vocabulary such as "exquisite" and "perfection" to describe her, this is all absent of sexualised language. Alternatively, Iago says "what an eye she has", implying that Desdemona looks at other men in sexual ways, to make Cassio believe he might have a chance with her. Despite Iago's attempts, Cassio defends Desdemona, saying that she's "modest" which shows he is a decent person and cares for Desdemona in a friendly way.





How does Iago persuade Cassio to drink? Use your close reading skills to analyse the language he uses. (Note how ‘but’ is used as an adverb here) AO2 LFS

Iago persuades Cassio to drink in Act 2 Scene 3, by making him feel guilty as he will not drink with his men. Cassio knows that he cannot hold his drink and that he becomes drunk on very little alcohol, therefore he is very reluctant to drink anymore as he had already had one glass that evening. Despite his worries, Cassio eventually gives in to Iago when Iago states "but one cup" to drink with his friends. The adverb "but" comes across as meaning that one cup is nothing and that in saying it, Iago is trying to convince Cassio that just one glass of wine won't have an effect on him.




Why does Iago try to subvert the social order and bring others down to his level, rather than try to climb the ladder and raise himself up? Consider ideas about social order at the time AO3, context.

In the time period, it was very difficult, near impossible to climb the social ladder in a society which based its rules on the fact that if you were poor, you stayed poor, and if you were rich you got richer. There was no movement in the rankings in society. Iago recognises this, and in order to become higher up in the hierarchy, he knows that he has to bring his higher nobilities down to his level or lower in order to raise himself up his goal of taking Othello's rank.



Othello says “My blood begins my safer guides to rule/And passion, having my best judgements collied/Assays to lead the way.” (lines 201-203) What does this quotation reveal about the effects of Iago’s knavery in this scene?

Othello reveals within his quote, his anger towards Iago's knavery, aimed at Cassio as Iago hasn't been exposed as the villain a to this moment in time. This is very alternate to Act 1 Scene 2 where Othello keeps very calm as he is repeated accused of 'stealing' Brabantio's daughter. This could be because he is the person of authority and the person that he most trusts has been fighting against Othello's will even though Cassio was supposed to be keeping the peace.


BIG QUESTION: Why is this scene important in relation to the play as a whole?
-How is Iago presented
-What happens in the scene
-What this scene indicates about the key characters

In this scene, Iago fully reveals his manipulative character as he manipulates Cassio into thinking that Iago cares about him and his position. Iago tells Cassio how he could get close to Desdemona so that she will talk to Othello and convince him to give Cassio his rank back as Othello's lieutenant. Despite Iago's façade that allows him to be deceptive, his real motive for giving Cassio this advice is to victimise him by planting the idea in Othello's head that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair and therefore if Cassio gets close with Desdemona to get his position back, his flirtatious nature will make Othello believe Iago's untruths. The happenings in this scene show Cassio to be fairly naïve to evil in amongst friends or colleagues as he listens to Iago out of desperation. Othello, when he fires Cassio, is shown to conform to the racial stereotype of black people being easily angered when Othello's "blood begins my safer guides to rule" which shows that Othello is starting to be influenced by his feelings and anger. 

Othello Act 2 Scene 1 questions

Re-read Act 2 scene 1 lines 95-100. What sort of person is Cassio?

From line 98 we can blatantly see that Cassio has a very open personality as he "extends his manners" by 'kissing' Emilia to show greetings. He is a tactile character as he connects and welcomes people through a physical action rather than verbal, as when he kisses Emilia, this could come across to others as Cassio having a flirty nature, yet he shows that it is his "breeding" to be so open and free with his actions and that it is just a "bold show of courtesy" nothing more.

How does Iago plan to use Cassio’s character traits to usurp and ensnare both Cassio and Othello? (Lines 167-176 will help.)

Iago recognises that Cassio's open nature could easily be mistaken for be flirtatious, therefore knows that it would be easy to "ensnare" both Othello and Cassio, by manipulating Othello's thoughts to make him believe that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. Iago plots to do this to "strip" Cassio out of his "lieutenantry" by doing this as Othello will believe that Cassio has betrayed him by sleeping with his wife. Although Iago knows that Cassio holds no feelings of love towards Desdemona, Cassio's nature makes him the perfect prey to become Desdemona's 'lover'. This is ironic because Cassio may be one of the few male characters in the play that don't hold any passionate feelings for her.

What does Iago tell Roderigo to do, and why does Iago say it will help Roderigo to win Desdemona’s heart? (Lines 249-278 will help you with this question.)

Although Iago knows for a fact that Desdemona loves Othello, he still uses manipulation on Roderigo to make him think that her love for Othello is untrue. He states that "if she had been blest she would never have loved the Moor" which shows that according to Iago, Desdemona is no angel as Roderigo thinks of her; and that if she was, she would never have married a person of colour. Straight after, Iago brings into his manipulation, the story of how Desdemona is going to have an affair with Cassio, "Did thou not see her paddle with the palm of his hand?" showing that after being married for a limited amount of time, she is already starting to 'flirt' with other men. Iago then further imbeds his story into Roderigo's mind when he states "Lechery, by this hand: an index and obscure prologue to the history of lust and foul thoughts", Iago is again manipulating Iago to see Cassio's gestures of courtesy as flirtatious and lustful and tries to hint that it is the start of something Desdemona being unfaithful.

What more do we learn about the nature of Iago in Act 2? What is the effect of having him share his thoughts and plans with us through his soliloquies? Pay attention to the language used in Iago's soliloquies. What sorts of descriptive language does he use? How does it contribute to the picture of Iago that Shakespeare is drawing?


In act two we see more clearly Iago's manipulative personality as he tells us of his plans, and how he will execute them. Dramatic irony is used when Iago says his soliloquy as we gain knowledge that the other characters in the play are oblivious to. This adds effect as we know what is to happen in the play and we have to watch the other characters as they fall victims to Iago's plan. Iago is fairly sexist, calling women "wild cats in the kitchen" presenting women in a stereotypical way of only being useful doing domestic tasks.